Adversity

 

Any discussion of adversity is not complete without addressing the faith opportunity that adversity presents.  The only appropriate response to the challenges of life is a faithful reliance on God.  Adversity is part of God’s plan for us and the “Why” is usually something we do not understand.  Suffering is often a part of life.  Obviously, the degree of suffering may vary, but we do suffer, and that too is a part of God’s plan.  A true dependence upon God should be our focus when facing adversity, suffering and pain.  God’s blessing will see us through, and we will be stronger and wiser because of the experience.

When we suffer, we can easily get bogged down with the “why” question.  Why is this happening?  But we may never know the why.  God has not promised to tell us the why.  We can ask Him but He may not tell us.  He is more concerned with our future than our past, with our response to the suffering rather than the cause of our suffering.

Jeff Wells

Pastor, WoodsEdge Community Church

 

Be a Blessing

Have you ever felt truly blessed by another individual?  Maybe it was a close friend supporting you through a tragedy. Possibly it was a total stranger who blessed you with a random act of kindness. Or maybe it was a church group that covered you in prayer. Those blessings feel good, don’t they?

Think about the origin of that blessing.  Consider being the one that is a blessing to others. There is nothing more endearing than a genuine act of kindness.  One of the most powerful things you can do as a human being is to care for another individual.  Being a blessing to others is not difficult or expensive. It simply requires a mindset that’s focused on others and not ourselves. We have all had that warm feeling of being blessed by others.  Why can’t we make it our priority to grant those warm feelings to those around us?

As we head into this holiday season still in the midst of a pandemic, make it your goal to be a blessing to those around you.